Tesla Cybertruck: No customer research? No shit…

August 5, 2020July 27, 2021 EV Central team 4732 Views Cybertruck, Tesla

Elon Musk has shocked precisely no-one by revealing the radical battery electric Tesla Cybertruck was designed without conducting customer research.

No shit.

Unveiled in November 2019 and due on-sale in 2022, the Cybertruck was an instant sensation because of its angular shape, exoskeleton chassis, incredible performance claims and impressive pricing.

Pre-orders for the Cybertruck had reportedly reached 700,000 by July 2020. It will be built at a new Tesla Gigafactory in Texas.

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“Customer research? We just made a car we thought was awesome and looked super-weird,” Musk told the Daily Drive podcast.

“I just wanted to make a futuristic battle-tank, something that looked like it came out of Bladerunner or Aliens or something like that,” he said, referencing two iconic sci-fi movie franchises.

Warming to his theme, Musk later added:

“The body panels are bulletproof to a handgun, so probably helpful in the apocalypse.

“Let me tell you the truck you want in the apocalypse is the Cybertruck.

“We wish to be the leader in apocalypse technology.”

Cybertruck: Weird and crazy

Musk admitted he was bracing himself for negative response to the Cybertruck when it was unveiled.

“People could have been like ‘oh wow, you’re crazy. That car doesn’t look like any other car, we are not going to buy it’. That could have been one of the outcomes.

“I wasn’t super-worried about that because if it turns out no-one wants to buy a weird-looking truck we’ll build a normal-looking truck no problem.

“There are lots of normal trucks out there that look much the same – you can hardly tell the difference. Sure we could do some copycat truck, that’s easy.”

Those other pick-ups Musk was referencing include the world’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, the Chevrolet Silverado and the RAM. These are all ICE vehicles powered by sizeable petrol and diesel engines.

EV truck rivals coming soon

But there is also a fleet of electric trucks coming including an F-150, a Chevrolet, a GMC Hummer and offerings from start-ups including Rivian, Nikola, Lordstown, Bollinger and Fisker.

Musk doesn’t seem to be concerned about any of them – and who can blame him given the response to the Cybertruck.

“The reaction has been amazing, we’ve had several hundred thousand people place orders and we’ve mad more excitement about the Cybertruck than any other vehicle we have ever unveiled,” he said.

Beyond the weird shape, the Cybertruck has a bunch of other unique features.

It will be made from cold-rolled steel and claimed to have shatter-proof glass, although not at the global reveal where front and rear side windows memorably succumbed to bowling balls thrown by Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holshauzen.

As revealed last November, the Cybertruck measured up at nearly six metres long. Musk later hinted the production version would be about 3 percent smaller, but has since changed his mind.

Side mirrors are also set to replace cameras and windshield wipers added to deal with rain, replacing the hydrophobic coating and – allegedly – lasers. The concept’s radical steering wheel is also set to be replaced by a more conventional item.

Muscle and pace

Tesla is touting single, dual and tri-motor versions of the Cybertruck, with a US$39,900 starting price ($56,000).

The single-motor, rear-wheel drive version is claimed to hit 60mph (97km/h) in 6.5 seconds and offer a base range of more than 250 miles (402 km).

The mid-range dual-motor all-wheel drive Cybertruck’s 0-60mph acceleration is stated at just 4.5 seconds and its range at 300 miles (480km)

The triple-motor AWD model is claimed to hit 60mph in just 2.9sec and achieve a 209km/h top speed. Its range is stated at 500 miles or 800km – almost 100 miles more than the longest-range Tesla Model S sedan.

All Cybertruck models have a payload of 1588kg and the base model is rated to tow 7500 pounds (3402kg).

“Remember it (Cybertruck) is also highly functional,” Musk told Daily Drive. “It has incredible capabilities. It’s basically as fast as a Porsche 911 and has more towing power and trucking capability than a (Ford) F-150.

“So it’s a better sports car than a 911 and a better truck than an F-150.

“This is something you could use to tow a boat, horse trailer, pull tree stumps out of the ground, go off-roading and not have to worry about scratching the paint because there is no paint. You can be smashing boulders and be fine, be great.”

While the Cybertruck won’t be painted, a process called tempering can produce a limited palette by extreme-heating the steel. The colours range from faint yellow through light blue, dark blue, brown and purple.

Cybertruck may not be for Australia

In Australia the Cybertruck has attracted a significant number of orders and the Tesla website says it will be sold globally.

But Musk has cast some doubts on that, telling Daily Drive the Cybertruck was aimed at North America and he doubted it would be compliant with EU regulations in Europe.

Australia’s local compliance regulations (ADRs) and EU regs line up in many ways, suggesting the Cybertruck may not comply here either. The solution could be that smaller truck already ruled out for the USA.